Iran’s Zarif Says Meeting with US’s Kerry Not Private

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his recent meeting with former US secretary of state John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) was not private.

“Most of our meetings are not private and we hold talks with the elites of this country (the US) on the sidelines of the international meetings and sessions,” Zarif said on Sunday evening.

However, the Iranian top diplomat added, “Currently, we are not in talks with the US administration.”

Zarif went on to say that during his meeting with Kerry, he had discussed US President Donald Trump’s plans for the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and policies to isolate him in the international arena.

Trump told the Europeans on Jan. 12 they must agree to “fix the terrible flaws” of the JCPOA or he would re-impose the sanctions Washington lifted as part of that pact.

The JCPOA was reached in July 2015 and came into force in January 2016.

Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.

In a recent speech at the Chatham House think tank in London, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi said even if Trump relents and issues fresh “waivers” to continue suspending anti-Iran sanctions based on the JCPOA, the existing situation is unacceptable for Iran.

“If the same policy of confusion and uncertainties about the JCPOA continues, if companies and banks are not working with Iran, we cannot remain in a deal that has no benefit for us,” Araqchi said. “That’s a fact.”